Remo D'Souza is an Indian dance choreographer, dancer, actor, and film director. He began his career in the movie industry as a background dancer. After working as a dancer and then choreographer, Remo tried his hand at film direction. He mainly works in the Bollywood film industry.
Early LifeOriginally named Ramesh Gopi Nair, Remo D'Souza was born on 2 April 1972 in Kerala to Gopi Nair and Madhaviyamma. He has four siblings, an elder brother, and three younger sisters. Courtesy of Gopi Nair's job in the military, the family kept moving all over India. Remo did his schooling in Jamnagar, Gujarat, where he found a real passion for dancing.
Personal LifeRemo is married to Lizelle, an Anglo-Indian who works as a costume designer for TV shows in Mumbai. The couple stays in Andheri West, Mumbai, and has two sons- Dhruv and Gabriel.
Movie CareerRemo D'Souza began his film career in 1995 as a background dancer in the Aamir Khan-starrer Rangeela. Over the next few years he danced in and choreographed dance sequences in dozens of Bollywood films like Saathiya (2002), Dhoom (2004), Pyaar Ke Side Effects (2006), Rock On!! (2008), Student of the Year (2012), Krrish 3 (2013), Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (2013), 2 States (2014), Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015), Bajirao Mastani (2015), and Dilwale (2015). Remo stacked up numerous awards along the way, most notably for Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, starring Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone, and Bajirao Mastani, starring Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, and Priyanka Chopra. He won Best Choreographer for the song Badtameez Dil in Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani at the Screen Awards, Zee Cine Awards, IIFA Awards, and Star Guild Awards. For Bajirao Mastani, he won the Star Guild Award for Best Choreography and the 63rd National Film Award for Best Choreography for the song Deewani Mastani.
In the year 2011, he made his directorial debut with the Hindi comedy film F.A.L.T.U. Remo himself made a special appearance in the movie, which went on to do reasonably well at the box office. His next venture was ABCD: Any Body Can Dance (2013), a movie tagged as India's first dance film. The film saw the participants of reality show Dance India Dance feature in supporting roles, with actors like Prabhu Deva, Ganesh Acharya, and Kay Kay Menon playing the leads. ABCD went on to be a huge critical success and Remo then directed its sequel ABCD 2 (2015), a 3D dance drama film, produced by Walt Disney Pictures. The film saw Prabhu Deva reprising his role, with the additions of Varun Dhawan and Shraddha Kapoor to the cast. The movie opened to mixed reviews but Remo won the Stardust Award for Best Choreographer and the BIG Entertainment Award for Most Entertaining Social Film. In 2016, he co-wrote, directed, and choreographed the Bollywood superhero action film A Flying Jatt, starring Tiger Shroff.
TV CareerRemo D'Souza is a prominent television personality. He has judged Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa, along with prominent Bollywood figures Madhuri Dixit and Karan Johar. The choreographer was also the 'super judge' on the dance show Dance+. He was nominated for Best Non-Fiction Judge for Jhalak Dikhlaa Jaa at the 2013 Golden Petal Awards and for Favorite Naya Sadasya- Male for Dance+ at the Star Parivaar Awards. Remo has also judged shows like Dance India Dance, Dance Ke Superstars, Comedy Circus Ke Ajoobe, and Nach Baliye.
In 2016, he co-wrote, directed, and choreographed the Bollywood superhero action film A Flying Jatt, starring Tiger Shroff. In the same year, he won a National Award and International Indian Film Academy Awards for Best Choreography for the epic historical drama Bajirao Maastani. In 2018, he directed Race 3, an action-thriller starring Salman Khan. His other projects include A Flying Jatt, starring Tiger Shroff. In the same year, he won a National Award and International Indian Film Academy Awards for Best Choreography for the epic historical drama Bajirao Mastani. In 2018, he directed Race 3, an action-thriller starring Salman Khan. His other projects include Nawabzaade (2018).